Can't Catch Me
by etcetera-cat
Summary: Cat is running. Running from her past, running from her surroundings, running for her life... and then she slips up and finds herself face to face with Shadowstar; a Tayledras scout who is entirely unprepared for the changes that Cat's arrival heralds.
1. Whither Do I Wander?

Disclaimer:  All concepts relating to the world of Velgarth, such as the Tayledras, Bondbirds and named places such as the Pelagiris Forest are the sole property of the author Mercedes Lackey.  ~evil-cat wanders off to search for cake~

**Can't Catch Me- A Valdemar Fanfic.**

**Chapter 1- Whither Do I Wander?**

    I'm being as quiet as I can.

    Padding silently in no real direction, except for _away_ from where I've come.  I'm flitting from shadow to shadow, the pools of dimness that are round the base of every tree and tangle of bushes in this forest, lifting and placing my feet carefully in the thick loam and leaf litter to make sure that I don't step on a dry twig or leaf that will announce my presence to the vicinity.

  All around me is alive with sounds, proof that my bid for invisibility is working.  I can hear the birds and other small creatures in the canopy above me, calling to each other and squabbling over food.  Normal daytime sounds that drift into my pricked ears as I continue my careful slinking.

  I don't understand how anyone could find this place to be silent, all around there are signs, and sounds, of life.

  Mind you, people in general confuse me greatly.  Confuse and scare me.  Out here is much safer.  

  Especially for me.

  My stomach begins to ache slightly, not-so-subtly reminding me that I haven't eaten anything since the sun rose.  An internal sigh, and I cast around, looking for something that I can con my body into thinking is food.  My luck seems to be making a rare appearance, just across from me, next to as deep a pool of shadow as one could wish for, is a bramble like plant loaded down with a fruit I recognise as starberries.  

  Despite the fact that my guts increase their insistent grumbling at the sight and prospect of actual food, I maintain my caution and skirt my way carefully around the bright patches of summer sun that lance down through the green above and gild the ground they wash over, until I can sink gratefully into the cover provided by the shadows next to the brambles.

  Although I am most certainly not the smallest creature to pass through this forest, the shadows around the bases of the trees are more than enough to hide me completely, two or more of me at once, in fact.

  The sheer _size_ of the trees in this place is the reason for that, they are quite simply massive.  Big enough to build houses in, and people do.  Build houses in the trees, I mean.  The Hawkbrothers do, at any rate.

  Who are the Hawkbrothers?  Well, you're not exactly asking the right person that question.  I know very little of them.  What I do know is that they live in this forest, which stretches from north to south for what seems like forever, and that they have magic, which they use to fix the places that the terrifying magic storms made several years ago, and to fix the…monsters… that the magic also made.  They also have birds, large birds of different species that they have tamed and changed, so that they are intelligent.  Partners, not pets.

  That is all I know, and I don't intend to find out anything more, for that would mean meeting—coming into contact with them, which I do not want to do.  They have a 'shoot first and then ask questions' mentality when it comes to encounters in the forest, their territory.  Although that is supposed to have lessened since they became allies with the civilised countries to the east, particularly the one that has this forest running the length of one of it's borders…Valdemar?  Yes, I think it is called that.

  Despite that, I still am certain that in my case it would most definitely still be a 'shoot first' scenario, hence my caution.  I don't want to overly announce my presence to the local wildlife, and I _definitely_ don't want to encounter any Hawkbrothers.

  There, now I have stripped every last ripe starberry within my reach and they seem to have satisfied my stomach, as it has stopped aching.  Unfortunately, this means that I can pay more attention to the rest of the aches and grumbles that my body is informing me that it has.  

  As if I could forget, and pausing has allowed my muscles to cool enough that the aches are more noticeable, along with the threatening stiffness that only left me this morning after I had been moving for at least two of the local's 'marks'.

  As well as the aches, there are several sharper pains, one across the top of my head, and one tracing down my right leg.  

  I should have known better than to speak the few words of Trader-talk that I know to those people.  Hells, when it comes down to it, I should never have gone anywhere near that village.  I should have…stood by and watched that child get dragged under the water, never to resurface?  No!  I couldn't have done that, even if he was-is one of them.  But I shouldn't have half-carried him back to his village.  

  Stupid idiot that I was, lulled into a false sense of security by the child's lack of anything resembling fear when presented with a good look at me.  The other inhabitants of that village soon broke that bubble of ridiculous daydreaming.  The fact that I then tried to speak to them only made it worse.  

  As my battered self lays testimony to.

  Time to move off before the threatening stiffness does invade my limbs, I can't afford to move any slower than I have been.  A thorough inspection of everything around me, and I leave the scant protection of the shadow pocket and continue my silent trek northwards. 

  After an indeterminate amount of time I catch the whisper of a new sound in the air.  Looking around and sniffing cautiously at the air, I determine that it is a small stream, off to my left.  Good, I'm thirsty.

  I change the direction in which I have been walking, so that I will soon intercept the stream at an angle.  No use in turning at right angles to walk to it, this way I am heading both towards the water, and _away_ from back there.

  Within short order I spy a dark, winding line cutting through the ground ahead of me, sure enough it is a small stream, burbling it's way over a bed of pebbles and fine-grained soil.  My luck seems to be holding, for once, as I have intercepted the stream at the point where it makes a half circle loop around, with the inside of the meander a gently sloping beach of sand and pebbles.

  I hesitantly step onto the soft sand—I shall have to remember to scuff out my p-_foot _prints before I leave—and approach the smooth flowing water.  Before I take a drink I pause and look down at my reflection on the rippling surface.

  As I thought, I have a large cut running across my head, from just above my right eye, backwards and the blood has scabbed around it, making my fur matt together.

  Didn't mention that, did I?  I'm a Changling…I won't say 'Changechild' as that implies more humanity to my looks than I possess.  I suppose the closest would be 'Changecat' although that is not the whole truth either.

  I sigh quietly and move my gaze so that I am staring squarely into the reflection of my green eyes.  Slit-pupils, of course.  The face that looks back at me looks broadly like one of the grasscats found on the great plains, although they are dusky gold in colour and my fur is a marbled-stripe mess of black, brown and silver that covers the mottled bruising that currently adorns my hide and I have green, green eyes.  I really do look like a cat, nothing really human at all about my features, which suits me _fine_.  I don't want to look like one of _them_.

  I dip my head to the water and lap it up, icy coolness spreading across my mouth and down my throat as I swallow.  Once I've sated my thirst I sit back awkwardly on my haunches and twitch my whiskers to shake off the clinging droplets of sparkling water.  

  Sitting like this I look entirely like a large striped cat, my tail coiled loosely around my left hind, with my right stretched out slightly to one side.

  _I could almost be mistaken for something normal._  I think bitterly to myself as I risk a look down at my right hind.  The sharp line of pain is due to a long, shallow cut that snakes it's way down my leg, from my hip to well past my stifle.  It is scabbed over the same as my head wound. 

  I want to clean them both, but I don't dare as that would most likely make them bleed again and introducing the scent of blood into the air of the forest is _not_ something that I am hasty to do.  

  Dark of the moon only knows what would start hunting me.

  I should move, before something, or someone, else happens along.  I stand up, balancing most of my weight anywhere _but_ my right leg and move slowly forwards, taking care to scuff out my distinct paw prints from the sand as I go.

  Yes, I'm on all fours, although I can walk on hinds only if I chose, that ability and the fact that my front paws are very hand-like, are the only remotely human things about me.  I prefer walking on all four paws to be quite frank, maybe because I always have done, and also because humans tend to comment if they catch a glance of a large cat pottering about on two legs.  Of course there is a more practical reason at the moment, as well.  I seriously doubt I could walk for any distance at all on just my hinds, and I have no wish to try it either.

  I suddenly freeze in the dark of a large tree stump that is covered with thick green moss and my ears prick forwards, straining to catch any unusual sounds.  I'm sure I just heard—yes!  There it is again, faint and distant; a harsh, unmusical cawing sound.

  _I wonder what that could be?_  The thought fleets across my mind and I uneasily shift my weight from paw to paw, eliciting protesting aches from my bruises and a stinging complaint from my injured leg.

  _I should go and see what's making that sound—no!  I shouldn't!  Look at what happened last time I tried to help.  _I shake my head and turn away from the direction of the sound, whatever the bird is that is making the noises, it sounds afraid.

  _But,_ my inner voice of reason rears it's head, _you don't know what kind of animal is making that noise…it could be food…_  The thought trails off as I contemplate the fact that it could indeed be food, and, apart from those berries before, I haven't eaten properly for days.  My inner curiosity senses this and joins in trying to convince me to go see what is making the sounds.  _They're coming from ahead of you, up the stream after all, and you _were_ thinking of following the stream for a bit…_  I hate it when I use semi-logical arguments against myself.

  Very well then, I shall go and discover the source of the sounds, but I'm not going to blunder in blindly.  I'm not that stupid.

  First I strain with my ears and nose to gather any information about what lies ahead of me.  I can't determine much, other than it is just the one animal making the sounds, and, after the initial cacophony when it started up, the local wildlife has not changed _its_ volume level much.  That is most decidedly a good thing—maybe my luck is holding?—as it rules out the possibility of any hunters like the snake-dogs being around.

  Well since I can't gather anything more from…normal…senses, it's time to use my…other…senses.  Now I really concentrate, and slowly lower the shields about my mind.  Actually a more accurate description would be thinning my shields.  The outcome is the same however, the sounds in the forest around me take on an extra dimension as I am suddenly party to the internal chatterings of everything in my vicinity, as well as the external.

  The general condition of my body and the fact that I have been running for too long on far to little means that I don't have near my usual range, but I do have enough to probe carefully ahead of me.  I can feel the distressed animal—no, definitely a bird—with my mind, but it feels…I don't know…odd somehow.  Not quite right.

  _Could it be one of the Hawkbrother's birds?_  The thought sends an icy shiver down my back and sets my hide to twitching on my flanks and I clamp down on the urge to run.  I'm running out of places _to_ run.  Besides, I can't hear any mind that sounds anything like human.  Relatively safe then.

  I winch my mind back in and begin to make my way forwards, following the course of the stream and heading towards the sound of the bird.

  It's strange, but it seems to simultaneously take me forever, and no time at all to reach the source of the wailing caws.  And they are wails, uncanny and un-bird-like.  Not that I can really comment of anything's comparative uncanniness.

  The bank that I have been walking along has gradually been rising, becoming almost a miniature cliff with the stream carving out it's way along it's base by the time I reach the sounds.  So rather than being confronted by whatever is making the noise, I am above it.  An advantage for me, I really do think that my luck is putting in a once in a lifetime appearance.

  Well, I'm standing cautiously back from the edge of the cliff, but all I can see ahead of me is tree trunks and green covered branches.  Not exactly informative.  I crouch down and eel my way towards the harsh line that marks the edge of the drop, well, _try_ to eel along.  My abused self, in particular my leg, has much to say on that subject, none of it flattering.  The ground I'm pressing myself along seems to be very disturbed here, and the edge of the bank ahead of me has a very jagged and raw look to it. 

  _Maybe an animal fell over the edge?  But why would a _bird_ be crying out about that?_  If something has fallen over the edge, it's being very quiet…maybe that means it's dead…in which case I could well be having the first proper meal of meat in ages.  My mouth is beginning to water at the prospect of salty, rich meat.  

  _Enough dawdling, daft animal!_  I wriggle the last few lengths and raise my head slightly to peer over the edge of the cliff, which appears to be about two men high.  I can't see anything, so I shuffle forwards some more, gathering my aching limbs under myself so that I am in a crouched posture.

  Well, just like I thought, it _is_ a bird making the terrible sounds, it's some kind of raptor and is perched on a dead branch that has obviously fallen from one of the surrounding trees a while ago as it is moss covered and one end is drowned in vine like creepers.  Speaking of drowning, the focus of the bird's—hawk I think—attention is something lying partly in the stream.  Looks like my guess was right then, whatever it is fell off the bank.  I can't quite see what it is clearly though, so I lever my self up into a half-sitting position.

  And promptly freeze.

  It's a human—a man.  Worse than that, given the outlandish clothing and the fact that his hair has a silvery sheen to it and not-natural patterns, a Hawkbrother.

  _Run away!  Run away!  Run away!_  For once, all the usual argumentative parts of my mind unite and scream at me in fear.  Two words, repeated over and over.  Everything seems to be moving through syrup, I can't seem to move, all I can do is listen dumbly to the skittering thunder that is my own heart, seemingly determined that if _I_ don't move soon, _it's_ going to bloody jump out of my chest and get out of here on it's own.

  Any second now, the man's going to spot me and—the hawk's keening breaks off and it fixes piercing yellow-brown eyes on me.

  _Uh oh._

  _:Help!:_  The demanding, and male, voice echoes in my head.

  _What the Hells?!_  I yelp to myself and start violently, causing my leg to pulse in pain.

  _:You, help now!:_  I look wildly around for the source of the voice and suddenly realise that the _hawk_ is the one speaking to me, staring at me too.

  _:Wha-what?:_  I reply without even thinking, as most of my mind is currently engaged in jumping up and down and screaming 'He's going to spot you!  Run!  The man is going to _see_ you any moment _now!  Run!_'  I'm still frozen in place though.

  The bird flips it's wings and gives a disgusting caw.  _:Bondmate hurt.:_  It states.  I get the feeling I'm being patronised.  _:You help.  Now.:_  Yes, I am being talked down to by a bird.

  But, hang on, the man…the bird's 'Bondmate', he hasn't reacted to my presence.  At least, I haven't heard anything.  I dare a glance down, muscles tensed, more than half expecting to be staring down the business end of an arrow.  I'm not though.  The man hasn't moved as much as a finger, as far as I can tell.  Maybe he's dead?

  _:Not dead!:  _The hawk glares fiercely at me.  It's following my thoughts dammit!  _:Hurt, you help now.:_

  I consider the cliff face below my paws, I can see where the landslip that the Hawkbrother went over on occurred, the earth is fresh and loose looking.  _Maybe if I climb down on the left side, I can use those branches to help—_  I break off the thought and shake my head violently _–what am I _thinking_?!  I can't seriously be considering helping one of _them_!  He'll wake up and kill me!_  I stop, half turned and with one paw raised to try and climb down the cliff face and blink.

  _:Not kill!:  _Damnable bird, in my head again.  _:Reeka say you help, Shadowstar not kill.:_

  I pause again and twitch my tail slightly, a weak breeze ruffling my fur, and the feathers of the hawk, Reeka, before  moving forwards and trying to climb down the cliff without falling head over tail downwards.

  _I can't believe I'm doing this.  Why am I doing this?  I am shaking so much with fear that I'm going to fall in a moment.  But I'm still doing this.  Because a _bird_ told me to.  I must be insane…_  The thought chase around my head, along with the ever-present yammering fear and insistence that I should 'Run away!  Run away!'

  Normally I would have no trouble climbing something like this, but I am really shaking and my usual flexible body is bitterly complaining at the contortions and strain I am putting it through.  Suddenly, my right leg decides that it has had _quite_ enough, thank you _very_ much, and it gives under me, throwing me off balance totally as I scrabble helplessly at the side of the bank.  Which chooses that moment to start to disintegrate beneath me.

  I hiss as pain flares along my leg and then I'm sliding, falling down the rest of the bank.  My luck seems to have wandered off after the faeires, as my uncontrolled descent—perhaps 'plummet' would be a better description—is only halted by the gravely bed of the stream and the bank.

  At some point. I must have shut my eyes, as the pain as I impact with the rough, stony ground flashes behind my eyelids as a dazzling display of red and glowing black, accompanied by a winded moan that blows into the soil my nose is now pressed in.

  I gasp and try to pull air into my lungs before I pass out, and then, shakily try to stand up.  After a few false starts I manage to gather my limbs into some semblance of working and wobble my way upright.

  _:Cat hurt?:_  The bird is looking at me with it's head over to one side.  I suppose I do look like a cat to it.

  _:Oh, I'm absolutely fine.:_  I send acidicly, unfortunately this seems to go right over the damn thing's head as it blinks and looks at me.

  _:Good, now help Shadowstar.:_

  _Who?  Oh, right, the Hawkbrother…_  I look down to my right and sure enough, there is one unconscious human sprawled on his back near me, legs trailing into the water.  _Well, what the Hell am I supposed to do?_  I think irritably and shift my weight from paw to paw.  _Try_ to, at any rate.  My right leg buckles under me and I whimper as pain jags up the limb and try to regain my balance.  As I do, I notice a new metallic scent on the air, a hasty look confirms it.  The cut along my leg has reopened and is now bleeding sluggishly.

  I do not need this.

  Really, no.

  Dammit. 

  Well, I suppose I better get myself and the unconscious Hawkbrother out onto dry land.  I limp out and round to his head.  He looks young, not a child or anything, he's full grown, but there are no age lines on his face.  He smells nice-ish too, of woodlands and musk, not like _them_, those villagers, who stank of fear and anger. 

  My fear.  Their anger.

  I can't pick him up, I only have three almost functioning limbs at the moment.  _Maybe I could drag him somehow?_  I hesitantly paw at his hair until I have exposed the collar of his patchy green coloured tunic.  Dipping my head hesitantly, I grip the material in my mouth and begin to back up.  Limp vaguely backwards, at any rate.

  _Stupid lump man.  Stupid heavy lump man._  I mutter to myself as I drag both myself and the Hawkbrother backwards, up onto the soft loam of the forest floor.

  _:Not lump!:_  Reeka objects loudly.  _:Bondmate!:_

  _Yea, well silly bird should try dragging him._  I think rebelliously and spit out the cloth.  I look up to check that I have gotten all of him out of the water, which I have.  _Now what do I do?_

  _Get out of here!  Run away!_  My subconscious clammers at me.  That sounds like a plan, I want to get out of here before the Hawkbrother wakes up—a low groan and I jerk my head downwards, to find myself staring at the suddenly animated face of the Hawkbrother.

  His eyes are open and he's staring back at me with dazed confusion.

  _Shitshitshit!_  Fear paralyses me for a moment, until instinct takes over, literally flinging my higher brain functions to the back of my consciousness, and causing me to back paddle violently away from the man before he can fully wake up.  That's the plan, anyway.  My treacherous hind leg has other ideas and promptly crumples under me and I can feel a wave of heat roll down to my paw as the wound opens more.  

  It hurts.  _Lots._  But I can't do anything other than stifle a scream of pain into a whimper and force myself to continue moving, trying to pick up speed, as the Hawkbrother has now rolled onto his side and gained to his knees, the confusion still plain on his face.  _Runrunrun!  Get away!  Run!_  And now he's staggering to his feet, as his bird krrs in agitation, and he towers over me and I'm trying to hunch to the ground and present a small a target as possible whilst at the same time trying to scrabble backwards.

  Everything is moving through syrup again, and I can't seem to get my body to work properly, everything about me is burning with pain and fatigue and I'm getting increasingly dizzy.  So dizzy, in fact, that it's becoming hard to focus on the looming figure in front of me.  _Run!  Run!  _Run_!_

  I think he's extending one hand and speaking, but I have no idea what he's saying, nor do I want to know.  I take a chance and twist around and launch myself away, desperately trying to goad my failing self into escape.

  I slip, a mixture of slippery ground—though why it should be slippery when it hasn't rained for days—and a shrieking protest from _all_ of my muscles, not just my injured leg, and fall sideways—I think I call out, but I'm not sure—my head cracking solidly off the fallen branch that the hawk had been perched on.

  Multicoloured pain explodes behind my fading vision and I slump to the cool ground.

  _I'm dead…_ My last thought.

~~~~~

Well, another 'fic!  This is yet again a PoV affair in present tense, as I like writing like that :D

All reviews are appreciated!  Not to give away the plot, but this is going to be a two-person PoV, so next chapter we're going to be backseat in the mind of a certain 'stupid heavy lump man'

~etcetera-cat


	2. Falling Sideways

Disclaimer:  Everything you recognise such as named countries, Hawkbrothers, Bondbirds and the like are the sole property of the author Mercedes Lackey.  ~evil-cat eats cake~

**Chapter 2- Falling Sideways.**

  I'm being as quiet as I can.

  I much prefer taking the tree road to walking on the ground, and Reeka approves too.  He finds it much more preferable when there's plenty of chances for him to perch ahead of me and watch and wait.  Speaking of which, he's looking imperiously at me right now.

  _:Hunt?:_  The question inserts itself into my head and the sun-tail hawk looks hopefully at me, his Bondmate.

  I'm Tayledras, one of the 'legendary Hawkbrothers', if you hadn't already guessed.  My name is Shadowstar k'Treva and I'm a scout, hence why I'm out wandering the tree roads of the Pelagirs Forest.  I've been a scout pretty much since I Bonded with Reeka, four or so summers ago, I'm eighteen summers in age.  Yes, I Bonded quite late, apparently my Bondbird wasn't too eager to leave the egg.

  I don't see why we shouldn't hunt a bit, I'm almost at the end of my scouting sortie, and there is not as much as a whisper of trouble in this area.  That makes a nice change.  _:Yes, let's hunt.:_  I reply to Reeka, who replies with a flood of approval.  What he doesn't do, however, is take to the air.  _:I thought you wanted to hunt?:_  I send to him as I draw level with the branch that he is currently perched on.

  Reeka blinks and looks at me.  _:You hunt, I eat.:_  He informs me with a rumbling sound of satisfaction.  Great, I'm nowt but a food gatherer for my Bondbird.  Well, I could do with something to eat myself, and it's not like I'm in any rush to get back to the Vale.

  I unhook my bow and nock the string on it as Reeka watches me with interest.  _:Go on then, silly bird.:_  I tell him with a smile.

  _:?:_

  _:Help me look for something to shoot so that we can eat.:_  I'm honestly not sure if Reeka is deliberately misunderstanding me, or if he really doesn't understand.  Well, now he's taken wing and has vanished below the canopy ahead.  __

_  I may as well wait here until featherbrain finds something._  I think to myself and shift my weight slightly so that I am comfortably resting my weight up against the trunk of the huge tree I am in.

  I barely have time to get settled before I catch a hot flush of excitement from Reeka and he sends me the image of a tree-hare on the ground, as seen from above.

  _:Alright, I'm coming.:_  I walk softly along the thick branches, heading towards my hawk, who has taken to the trees just above our prospective dinner.  In no time at all, I'm in a tree above the animal.  The tree-hare is grazing on a small patch of grass on the edge of a high stream bank, so it should be an easy shot.  I set an arrow to my bowstring as quietly as I can and draw back the string as Reeka hops from foot to foot on the branch near to me, his eyes fixed on the prey.

  I slowly aim at the back of the tree-hare's head, as it raises its head and sniffs warily at the air.  The arrow leaves my bow with a thunk, just as the tree-hare skitters slightly to the left, and my arrow buries itself deeply in the soft loam near the edge of the cliff.  The tree-hare stares in blank astonishment at it for a split second, before thumping it's hind legs down and diving back into the safety of the tangled undergrowth at the base of the trees lining the exposed clearing.

  I curse silently as Reeka caws with derision.  _:It's called bad luck, bird.:_  I inform him patiently.

  A mental snort is my reply, along with a muttered.  _:Bad hunter.  Bad Shadowstar, humans not able to hunt.:_

  I sigh under my breath.  _Well, I suppose I'd better go get that arrow back, Cilli will have my head if I come back short._  Cilli isn't _my_ hertasi, well, not exactly.  You see, I'm one of the few scouts that don't live in the Vale itself.  I have an ekele about a quarter-mark slow walk from the east side of k'Treva Vale, but I do use the amenities of the Vale.  After all, I'm not sun-touched.  When I'm in the Vale, my things and needs are usually appropriated by a female hertasi called Cilli; she's also the one who makes sure that the scout's supplies of weapons such as arrows and climbing sticks are adequate.  

  Unlike some of the other hertasi, she can be very…insistent… about how well we care for our equipment.  Vocal, too.  I think it's because she's not really a Vale hertasi, she came up from Silver Gryphon, the Kaled'a'in city to the far south and west.  According to Garna Esdrakae, the head of the Silver Gryphons that now share our Vale, she was equally, ahem, 'bossy' back there as well.

  Since the mage storms of several years ago, the ones which changed magic so drastically, and set back our task of cleansing the Unclean Lands of the Pelagirs so much, members of the Clan k'Leshya, the last ones who can truly call themselves Kaled'a'in, have joined near all of the Tayledras Vales.  The only ones who really object to this are crotchety old stick-in-the-muds who will never change their mindset.

  In my opinion, having a fully-grown gryphon, particularly one as imposing as Garna, at your back whilst facing down a pack of wyrsa is a _definite_ advantage.  Plus, it is plain _fascinating_ as they are so like us, but at the same time, startlingly different. 

  Well, enough pondering on the social evolution of my cousins, I've made the ground and am walking across the small band of bear leaf-litter and grass that delineates between the sharp fall of the high bank and the forest that I am emerging from.

  I can still hear Reeka, grumbling both vocally and mentally about my inabilities as a hunter but the ground here, this bank, is a lot more unsteady than it looked from the canopy, so I can't afford to let the mutterings of my Bondbird distract me.

  I slowly place one foot in front of the other as I near the edge of the bank—_just my luck that the arrow would land right near the edge_—trying to gauge if the soil beneath me is likely to shift and topple me over.  Falling onto my rear would only give Reeka more things to tattle to the other birds.  As it is, I know for a fact that the other scouts are going to know about my inability to bag a tree-hare within moments of us arriving back at the Vale.

  I make it to the wayward arrow without any mishaps and I bend down to pluck it out of the sharp smelling soil, noting as I do, that the stream that this outcrop type feature forms one bank of is actually a fair distance down.

  Fatal last observations.

  As I straighten up, the ground crumbles beneath my feet and I stumble forwards, heading towards the edge of the bank.  Arms wind milling, I try to back-paddle, but only succeed in aiding the disintegration of the shaky loam beneath my feet.

  I pitch forwards in an almost fluid stream of soil and small rocks and topple over the edge of the bank.

  _Oh sketi!_

  Reeka's low grade muttering breaks off into a shriek of panic as I vanish over the bank.  I tumble head over heels, and I seriously think that some imp of perversity is deliberately arranging this so that my head makes contact with every rock in this damned landslide with me.  I'm still clinging onto consciousness, though—at least I am until I make acquaintance with the ground with a stunning thud that whips the breath out of my body and causes red spots to dance behind my eyes.

  I notice that I'm lying on my back, with my light travel-pack and quiver mating awkwardly with my spine and shoulders, and that my lower body feels cold and wet, before a rolling wave of blackness crests over the flashing red lights and carries me off to oblivion.

*****

  I can vaguely hear…something… right on the very edge of my awareness.  I think it's Reeka, but I honestly can't focus on the niggling sensations that are just out of the reach of my awareness.

  My body feels strangely numb, but I get the distinct feeling that this set of non-sensations is only going to last until the assorted parts of my body can agree on exactly _how_ much to kick me in the proverbials with pain messages and complaints.

  Which'd be right… about… n…ow! then.  

  Well, I can establish straight off that I'm going to be sporting a full set of multi-coloured bruises for the next several weeks, luckily I don't seem to have broken anything though.  Unless you count my pride as I got into this mess after missing an easy pot shot on a tree-hare.

  With this returning of sensation, comes the realisation that I am still lying approximately on my back, with my lower body obviously in the stream.  I can also now hear Reeka making soft keening sounds of distress.

  _Right, come on silly Hawkbrother!_  I scold myself.  _Get your tail in gear and show your poor Bondbird that you're not dead!_  I'm going to move, any moment now I'm going to—

  Something is scratching around my neck, and it _isn't _Reeka.  

  Now I'm being dragged slowly backwards—definitely not Reeka then.

  _What in the Havens?_  Whatever it is has dropped it's hold on the back of my scout's tunic, but not until it has pulled me clear of the stream.  I suppose it could be another scout playing rescuer, but I haven't heard anything like a voice, and I'd expect them to at least be saying 'Oi, you!  Are you alive?'

  I think I'd better open my eyes and have a look at my personal helpful saviour.  The sun seems un-naturally bright after being accustomed to the blackness of unconsciousness, but I can make out a shape—person?—above me, looking down at me.  I blink to try to focus my stubborn eyes and can feel my forehead creasing with confusion.

  Whoever, whatever, it is lets out a gasp and disappears from my line of sight.  I manage to roll over and lever myself up onto my knees as Reeka lets out a cry of delight.

  _:Not dead!  Told her not dead!  Bondmate hurt?:_

_  :I'm fine Reeka.:_  I send soothingly to my excited sun-tail hawk as I blink and focus on my rescuer—

  _Oh.  Blessed.  Lady._

  I think 'whatever' is most definitely more apt, as my rescuer isn't anything _approaching_ human.  It—she?—is, however a Changling…not even a Changechild, but a Changecat of some description.  It—no, there's definitely _something_ that suggests female about her—looks kind of like a Plain's grass-cat, but…different somehow, and not just the fact that she has splotchy black and silver-brown tabby markings all over her shaggy fur.

  She also has green eyes.  Eyes that are wide with absolute and overwhelming fear, a feeling so strong that _I_ can almost taste it at the back of _my_ throat.  She is also crouched as low to the ground as she can get and is frantically scrambling backwards, trying to get away from me.

  I manage to lurch to my feet, operating more on instinct than conscious thought and, as I tower over her, the Changling flinches back and winces, emitting a low whimper of pain.  _What?!  What did I do?!_  I think irrationally, before noticing the spreading stain of red running down her right hind leg and pooling in the leaf litter around her paw.  _Sketi…maybe if I try to speak to her…?_

  "Hey,"  I try to make my voice as soft and non-threatening as I can and extend one hand, "I guess you must of helped me, thank you.  Are you alright?"

  _Stupid idiot, like she's going to understand Tayledras!_  My cynical inner voice accuses me, and it seems to be right as she keeps backing away from me, unfocused eyes fixed on me.

  I try a step forwards and, without warning, the Changling writhes around and attempts to leap away from me.  Her muscles seem to spasm and her right leg, which has a large, heavily bleeding gash on it, collapses under her, simultaneously slipping in the mix of blood and loam under her paws, sending her skewing sideways.

  A heart-rending mewl of pure fear echoes around her mouth before her head connects solidly with the same dead log that Reeka is perched on and she crumples senseless to the ground.

  _Dammit._  I feel an obscure stab of guilt as I approach the now-unconscious form of the Changling.  _What in the Lady's name do I do now?_

  Before I can think of a course of action Reeka crow-hops along the log until he's above the Changling, mantling his wings at the same time.  _:Not hurt!:_  He insists and gapes his beak to hiss at me.  Have I stepped into a parallel world here?  My Bondbird is _threatening_ me?!

  "Reeka, _what_ are you going on about?"  I ask him with exasperation as I rub the back of my aching head with one hand.  I'm going to have a prize-winning lump on the back of my head very soon, I'm lucky I didn't crack my head right open.  Speaking of cracked heads—

  I step towards the downed Changling, she looks far too small and fragile, as if life hasn't been treating her well.  _Well, of _course_ it wouldn't you _idiot_!  _I berate myself.

  Reeka clenches and unclenches his feet, drawing splinters from the decaying wood.  _:Cat help Shadowstar.  Reeka say Shadowstar not hurt cat.  Cat good.:_  I get the impression that, if he could, Reeka would be sniffing in disdain at my lack of understanding.

  "Well, of _course_ I'm not going to hurt her!"  I exclaim with a sigh.  "What do you think I am, silly bird?"

  Reeka blinks and krrs quietly to himself before replying.  _:Bondmate.:_  He says finally, and then adds, _:Hawkbrother.  'Shoot first, then ask questions.':_

  I'm stunned.  But—the Changling looks in danger of losing a dangerous amount of blood so I'd better see to that first.  I kneel next to the prone form and groan slightly as my shoulders protest at me shrugging off my scout-pack.  I rummage around in it and my fingers close on a roll of bandage, which I pull out, before also producing my water-bottle.

  I use the half full container to wash some of the dirt out of the wound, which has an odd look about it…it has some slight ragged edges, but the initial shape of the cut looks like it's been made with a blade of some kind.  I consider the log in front of me momentarily before plucking some moss and rinsing it in water and using the roll of bandage to hold my make-shift dressing in place.

  I rock back slightly to survey my handiwork.  _Well, it looks as if that's going to stop the bleeding._  I'd better check her head as well, she hit Reeka's perch at a fair pace.  _It looks like we're going to have matching lumps on our skulls._  I observe wryly.  _However, I don't think I'm going to have the attractive cut to accessorize._  I wonder what happened to her?  I think there's also bruising under her fur, but the fact that there is fur is making it hard to ascertain.

  Impromptu first aid session over, and I think it's time for a talk with my hawk.  "Reeka, why did you say that to me?"

  _:?:_

  I sigh and switch to Mindspeak.  _:'Shoot first, then ask questions', who told you that?:_

  _:?:  _Reeka twists his head onto one side to look at me.  _:No-one told.  I hear.:_

  _:Well, where did you _hear_ that then?:_  Patience…I will be calm and patient…

  _:What cat thinking.:_  Oh.  My.  Lady.  _:Was thinking when up there-:_ impression of the top of the bank _:-not going to help.  Scared.  Thinking that.:_

  I…can't actually think of anything to say.  I can't leave her here, I guess I'll have to take her back to my ekele, luckily it's not far from where I am now, about a third of a mark's walk north, I think.

  Reeka chirrs in contentment.  _:Take cat to home?  Reeka like cat.:_

  "Yes Reeka,"  I reply and awkwardly re-shoulder my pack and lurch to my feet, "not the Vale though."  I crouch down and try to pick up the Changling.  She weighs a lot less than I expect, and her bones are sharply prominent through her fur.

  "I don't suppose you know if she has a name?"  I ask Reeka as I begin to head back to my ekele.

  _:?:_  Reeka launches himself into the air and circles over my head.  _:Cat?:_

  _Is that a no or a name?_  I wonder to myself briefly, before another thought supersedes it.  _I'm going to have to tell at least some of the Vale Council about this…_

_  :Not stupid like eyas old Bondmates.:_  Reeka insists from ahead and above me.  I think he has a point.  I'm going to have to tell someone, several someones, however…

  First off, one of my best friends—and not incidentally a Healer—and then I think I'll see who she recommends, Dawnfrost is a much better people person than I am.

  No pun intended, but I think she's going to have kittens when I tell her about this particular development…

~~~~~

Well, aren't I good, another Chapter in just over as many days! :D  Read and review, as always, and I hopes you enjoys!

Thankees to all my reviewers!  *hands out cookies*

Next Chapter will be back with bruised, furry and unconscious!  Sees ya there!

~etcetera-cat

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  __


	3. Aching Heads

~evil-cat licks damson jam off her whiskers~  Disclaimer!  Everything relating to Velgarth and the Valdemar novels such as the mage storms, Bondbirds, Tayledras, ekeles and the like are the sole property of the author Mercedes Lackey…

~evil-cat yawns~  For the record, this chapter is in **Shadowstar's** PoV as I need to build up his, and a few other Tayledras related character's personalities, which I can't do in Cat's PoV, or at least, can't do to my satisfaction—and in a way that will make sense—in her PoV…So, read on, read on, and I promise that we will be getting back in her mind soon, for the moment you're stuck with stupid heavy lump man however! ^-^

**Chapter 3- Aching Heads.**

  Although I figured the distance back to my ekele correctly, what I forgot to factor in were my new collection of bruises and the fact that my new friend seems to share that feline trait of being able to indefinitely increase one's weight over a period of time.  It's my personal belief that the feline species have discovered some way to convert air into lead and back again.

  This means that by the time I reach the tree that holds my home, I'm red faced and wheezing like a punctured pair of blacksmith's bellows and it's all I can do to tell Reeka to pull on the tie that lets down the rope-and-wood ladder.

  After a moment's thought—during which I come to the conclusion that trying to climb up whilst still carrying my unconscious passenger would not only be un-necessarily machoistic (particular since there's no-one around to appreciate it) but would probably end up killing the pair of us—I also tell my Bondbird to loose the tie holding up the hoist-platform that I use to get large objects—like furniture, or unconscious Changlings—up to my home and it rattles down on it's thick hempen rope.

  With a sigh of relief I put the Changling down onto the platform, as well as my scout-pack, which I have to awkwardly shoulder off as assorted muscles in my back and upper arms protest loudly.

  Dawnfrost isn't here yet, when I said that I would have to Mindspeak her, what I really meant was I'd have to get Reeka to Mindspeak her peregrine falcon, Kiiir, as neither of us have a strong Gift of Mindspeech.  In my case, I can Mindspeak to the birds and those close to me—humans and non-humans alike—and Dawnfrost's Gift seems to mostly be Animal-Mindspeech, although she can reach people if she really pushes herself.

  Before I got Reeka to contact Kiiir I gave him strict instructions that he was _not to gossip_ to anyone or anything.  The _last_ thing I need is to have half the Vale descend on us.

  I manage to make it up the ladder without to much groaning, mainly as Reeka is perched above me making derogatory comments about my hunting _and_ climbing abilities.

  _Why did I have to get the Bondbird with an over-developed sense of sarcasm?_

  I reach the small wooden platform that acts as a kind of open-air porch to my ekele and fix my hawk with a stern look.  _:That is quite enough thank you.:_  I tell him seriously.  Hard to believe he was keening over me being injured a short while ago, isn't it?

  Reeka blinks at me and flips his wings to rearrange the feathers before issuing a command of his own.  _:Up!  Get cat up—pack up!  Now, now.:_  Not only sarcastic, but a tyrant too.  

  _Star-Eyed, what did I do to deserve this?_  I wonder to myself as I grasp the rope and begin hauling.  Luckily a cunning, hertasi made, system of pulleys and counterweights meaning that all I really have to do is provide the initial force and control.  I really don't think I'd be able to hoist pack or Changling around any more.

  Once I have the platform at the same level as the 'porch' and secure I also—belatedly—remember to hoist up the rope ladder.  I hope Cilli doesn't find out about my lack of self-safety discipline—she really _would_ remove my hide in one piece.

  Now I open the tight-sealed door of my ekele that leads to the inner porch and I manage to push and nudge my pack, and half carry the Changling through the entrance as Reeka flaps in over my head and lands on a cloak-hook.  I pull shut the outer door and then open the door on the opposite wall that actually lets into my ekele.  A lot of fuss, you may think, but I don't have the advantage of a Veil to keep out nasty weather and such, so all this is very much necessary for insulation and keeping the inside of my home water- and wind-proof _and_ liveable.

  As soon as the door is open, Reeka dives over my head again and makes for his perch and begins vigorous preening as soon as he is settled.

  The damned pack gets kicked into a corner, I'll sort it out _later_ and the Changling gets plonked unceremoniously on a low-back couch.  One of the few items of furniture I have in the public room of my ekele.

  The Changling looks about as out of it as you can be and still be alive—although I do have a brief panic and check her to see that she is still breathing—and looks in no danger of waking up any time soon.  Meaning I have nowt to do except study the interior of my ekele until Dawnfrost arrives.

  The room that we are in at the moment is curved in shape, to fit around the trunk of the great tree that holds my home aloft and the only real items of furniture are the low couch that the Changling is sprawled over, a carved wood chair pushed against the wall, a low table in roughly the centre of the room—pushed askew where I bumped into it whilst getting the Changling to the couch—and a pair of bookshelf like cabinets that are placed at one end of the room, one against the 'exterior' wall and one against the 'interior' wall, the wall the backs onto the trunk of the tree.

  Although I say the wall backs onto the trunk of the tree, it doesn't really, well let me explain:  Above this level are my sleeping quarters and a storage room, the staircase leading to these is a half spiral that runs between the wall of the public room and the tree itself, which gives me extra 'under stair' storage—more hertasi ingenuity that is somewhat flummoxed by my lack of piles of possessions.

  The walls are of smooth finished goldenoak and have artfully arranged collections of Hawkbrother masks and painted feathers and the furniture is of a darker finished oak and the couch and the many scattered floor cushions I have are upholstered in fabric of blue and green.

  _I wonder where Dawnfrost is?_  The thought surfaces in my mind as I gaze around my ekele for the umpteenth time.  Nothing has changed, the Changling is still out for the count and Reeka is fluffed up on a big branch perch, with one foot tucked up, near to the doorway that leads to the stairs.

  Before I can make yet another sweep of the room, a strange masculine voice echoes in my head.

  _:Dawnfrost is astride me waiting for you to let down the ladder so she can climb up and see what in the Star-Eyed's name Kiiir is babbling about.:_  There is distinct feeling of amusement, tempered by curiosity, to the sending.

  _Who in—?_  I scramble to the porch and fumble with the doors, letting myself onto the outer platform.

  Sure enough, Dawnfrost is waiting below, her face turned upwards, her blue eyes alive with curiosity and she's on the back of a dyheli stag, which explains the masculine Mindvoice.

  I reciprocate her waved arm and pull the release to let down the rope ladder as I squint at the dyheli.  I once heard a Valdemaran say that the Companions are impossible to tell apart as they are all horse shaped and white.  I think that I know what he meant when I look at dyheli; both males and females have the same ghost-pale markings of cream and beige, slightly spiralled straight horns and dark brown eyes with malaar stripe face markings.

  _I'm not sure that I recognise Dawnfrost's mount…_  I think to myself as the stag catches my gaze with his dark brown eyes.

  _:I am King Stag Nadran.:_  He tells me with another feeling of amusement as Dawnfrost hops off his back and begins to scale the ladder.__

_  :I'm sorry for not recognising you.:_  I apologise hastily, dyheli have a very different set of morals when it comes to 'listening in' on people's thoughts…probably as they don't really understand the concept of privacy as we humans do.

  Nadran snorts with amusement and shakes his head to discourage a buzzing pair of flies from alighting on his ears before replying.  _:You look as if you've had an adventure young Shadowstar.:_    The dyheli observes calmly.

  _:Yes—:_  Before I can add any more, Dawnfrost's head pops above the edge of the platform and she regards me with amazement.

  "Blessed Star-Eyed!"  She exclaims.  "What in the name of the Goddess have you been _doing_?!"

  I wait for her to get her feet onto the platform and stand up before I reply.  "Short answer;" I cross my arms stiffly over my chest, noting as I do that I seem to have gathered a large amount of muck on my scout gear—as well as a few spots of blood, "I fell off a cliff."

  Dawnfrost's eyes go wide as plums.  "You did _what?!_"  The piercing quality of her last word causes both myself and Nadran to squint, and me to wish that I could flatten my ears to my head as Nadran had with his.

  "No wonder you look like…"  Dawnfrost trails off for a moment.  "You…fell off a cliff!"  With that she dissolves into laughter.

  I raise an eyebrow at her as she bends over and begins wheezing in an attempt to catch her breath.  "Thanks for your concern."  I say in a slightly aggrieved tone of voice.

  "Oh pish!"  Dawnfrost manages to curb her giggles and returns my look.  "You're obviously all in one piece, so why shouldn't I laugh?"

  I cast my eyes upwards in mock despair and sigh theatrically.  "If you've quite finished?"

  "Oh, for the moment at least."  She replies with good humour.  "I suppose I'd better patch you up now—" the Healer points at the ajar door to my ekele and shrugs her pack off her back, "—in."

  "Aaah…"  I clear my throat and look sideways at Dawnfrost.  "Before we go in, there's something I should tell you…"  I trail off uncomfortably as Dawnfrost gives me a quizzical look up from rummaging around in her bag.

  "Yes…?"  She asks patiently.

  I cough and close my eyes briefly, suddenly I'm getting the feeling that maybe bringing the Changling back wasn't the wisest thing.  "Well, you see, it's not really me that needs patching up it's more the perso—ummm who helped me…"

  Dawnfrost regards me calmly.  "How hard did you hit your head?"  She asks, with a tilt of her head.

  "Not that hard—well, I lost consciousness but—well…"  I sound like an idiot.  I should just tell her.

  Yeah, right:  'Dawnfrost, I found an injured Changling and brought it back to my ekele without a second thought.'

  I can see _that_ going down well.  

  "Just… take a look."  I finish in a rush and point towards the doorway.  Dawnfrost gives me an odd look and I can feel Nadran looking at me through her eyes as she walks past me and pushes open the door.

  "I really think I should look at your head," she tells me, half over one shoulder, "concussion is no laughing matter you kno—"  She breaks off suddenly, and in the sudden silence I hear soft thudding of hooves as Nadran involuntarily dances in place.  I may not be overly Sensitive, but I can feel the surprise radiating off of the pair of them in great waves.

  _Oh, well…_

  I move after Dawnfrost and nudge her in the back, getting her to move from her position of 'just in' the inner doorway and she stumbles forwards slightly, attention locked on my unexpected guest.  I sidle around her and into the room, making it over to Reeka's perch before I stop and turn to face her.

  "Is…"  Dawnfrost looks like someone has just hit her round the back of the head with a plank.  She tries again.  "That's… That's a—a…"  She can't seem to get the words out.

  _:Changling.:_  Nadran's Mindvoice echoes loudly in my mind and I have to suppress a start of shock.  I'd almost forgotten about the dyheli sharing Dawnfrost's vision.

  Dawnfrost nods in stunned agreement and turns to face me.  "Where—I mean how…?"

  _:Where did It come from?:_  Once again, Nadran is the voice of coherency.

  "She," I say somewhat defensively, "and she helped me after I fell off the river bank."  Dawnfrost blinks at me.  "She's injured."  I add.  "She needs help."  

  Me Shadowstar.  Me not speak good.  Shadowstar go hunt with spear now.  Shadowstar kill many things!

  _:So you 'rescued' her?:_  Nadran doesn't sound accusative, in fact his Mindvoice sounds very neutral and bland.

  "Yes."  I still sound defensive and Reeka is obviously picking up on this as he rumbles in disapproval and mantles his wings briefly before adding his feather's worth.

  _:Cat good!:_  He insists firmly.  _:Reeka like cat, Dawnfrost help cat.:_  My Bondbird fixes a steady golden gaze on the female Tayledras who blinks and shakes her head slightly, some sense coming back to her expression.

  "I—oh, he's right."  She says faintly and scrutinises the prone form of the Changling.

  I think I really have stepped into an alternate reality… Reeka, he of the not understanding, has just managed to apparently win Dawnfrost over _how_?"

  "You're not going to shout at me for being an idiot?"  I ask cautiously, just to be sure.

  "Don't be stupid—" Dawnfrost shoots back at me, "—even if you are an idiot, which you are, she's _hurt_."  The Healer turns her attention back to her patient.

  _Very confused now…_  I think to myself, and scratch at the back of my head…right up until I encounter a large lump, which hurts.  Ow.

  _:There's no evil in her.:_  Nadran says, he's obviously been watching my surface thoughts.  _:Dawnfrost is an Empath as well as a Healer, and I am not exactly unGifted.:_

_  :So?:_  The switch to Mindspeech with the dyheli means that I fall into a strong enough rapport to feel when he shakes his head.  Odds are even on whether it's to discourage flies for alighting on his ears or in despair of a certain dim witted Hawkbrother not a thousand leagues from here.

  _:Neither of us can sense any kind of ill intent in the Changling, besides, it is perfectly obvious that she hasn't attacked you in any way.:_  I get a distinct sense of amusement with the latter part of that sending.

  _Marvellous, _I think to myself, _Unlike Bondbirds, dyheli _are_ good Mindspeakers…my 'accident' is going to be all over the Vale in a quarter mark!_

  My gaze drifts back over to Dawnfrost whilst I think and the blank look of concentration on her face indicates that she is in a Healing trance.  In fact—if I focus—I can See the Healing energies moving around her.  I have just enough Mage gift to be a hedge wizard, and I mainly use it for the Mage-sight and reading weather patterns, it's a useful tool for a scout.

  In the back of my mind I can taste plant leaves, a sign that Nadran is taking the opportunity to graze around my tree and silence reigns in the ekele itself.  Reeka is watching Dawnfrost with acute interest—odd bird, there's nothing really to see—and I think Dawnfrost's Kiiir is sunning herself on a branch outside, as she didn't follow her Bondmate into my ekele.

  I ease myself down onto one of the seat-cushions and join my Bondbird in watching the silent tableau that is Dawnfrost and the Changling, for what seems like a long time, long enough for my muscles to add 'growing stiffness' to the list of their complaints against me, before Dawnfrost draws in a deep breath and shakes herself back to wakefulness.

  After blinking a few times she half-turns to eye me.  "Well now brave hunter—" she quirks an eyebrow at me, "—lets see about patching you up."

  I sigh and lurch stiffly to my feet.  "Is she—?"  I begin to inquire as Dawnfrost gracefully makes her way towards me after scooping up her bag.

  "She'll be fine, I've Healed the cut on her leg and head and reduced the swelling and severity of the bruising she has."  She replies.  "She was badly beaten, you know, sometime within the last week."  Dawnfrost fixes me with a look that is almost a glare and I raise my hands placatingly.  "I know…"  She sighs.  "I don't like bullying in any way, shape or form."

  Dawnfrost squints at—or rather _through_—me for a moment and indicates that I should sit on the wooden chair, which I do.  "I know you don't, it's not exactly my cup of wine either."  I say as I pull the chair out from the wall and turn it around, so that I am staring out a window and Dawnfrost is presented with a view of my much-battered skull.

  She 'hmms' under her breath a carefully parts my blood matted hair as I try to stifle a series of winces.  "Hold still."  She murmurs distractedly and places both hands on top of my head.  

  A warm tingling spreads across my scalp, before I can think of a witty reply and the sharp pain drains away from my head.  I hold still, as interrupting a Healer's trance is not only rude, it is liable to get you a skin-crisping glare at the very _least_.  Dawnfrost's breathing sounds behind me as a soft, halting whisper and I vaguely gaze out of the window.  Not much to see really, just leaves and branches, what we call the 'tree road'.

  Dawnfrost draws in a deeper breath and I feel her hands lift off my head.  "You'll do, I've sorted out the wound on your head, but you're stuck with the bruising for now."  She informs me as she bends over to dig in her bag.  "Here, drink this."  She advises me as a brown earthenware jug appears in my line of sight.

  "How much."  I ask as I cautiously eye the bottle and take hold of it.  Dawnfrost makes good potions, but they have a certain… distinct… flavour to them, shall we say?

  The Healer snorts.  "A swig, a large swig.  It'll get rid of the rest of your headache and stop your bruises from hurting so much."

  "Thanks."  I say, and prise the tight-fitting cork out of the neck of the clay vessel.  I've long learnt that smelling Dawnfrost's potions before drinking them only warns the body of what is to come, so I quickly down a large mouthful of the cool liquid.

  Dawnfrost comes into my line of sight as I cough slightly and swallow in an attempt to get the astringent—think eating a whole lemon—taste out of my mouth, and she raises a sardonic eyebrow.  "Yes?"  She inquires deceptively.

  "Nothing, I'm absolutely fine."  I manage to croak.  I prefer my skin still attached to the rest of me and non-crispy, thank you.

  "Good."  She nods her head once and relieves me off the potion, jamming the cork back into the neck of the bottle before replacing it into her bag.

  _:Awake!:_  Reeka suddenly crows delightedly from his perch to the left of us, causing both Dawnfrost and myself to start with surprise.

  "What on the Star-Eyed's name are you on about, you daft bird?"  I ask with exasperation as I half turn to look at him, Dawnfrost mimicking my movement, with an equal amount of puzzlement clear on her face.  My Bondbird is hopping from one foot to the other and chirping like a messenger bird.

  Maybe Reeka is the one who needs his head checked, not me… is it possible to mentally transmit concussion to your Bondbird?

  _:Awake awake!:_  Reeka insists and stabs his beak forward in the air.  I turn around, Dawnfrost still moving in time with me and we are greeted with—

  —a blur of black and grey-brown diving over the back of the couch as the item of furniture itself jerks forwards and the cushions on it go flying in a graceful rain of blues and greens—

  —a gasp of shock torn from someone's throat, I can't tell if it's mine or Dawnfrost's, or even Nadran's—

  _Blessed Lady—_

  I lurch to my feet and stagger across the room, like a Valdemaran visiting a tree-top ekele for the first time, to be confronted with a _very_ much awake Changling with her hind quarters pressed against the far wall and all her hackles standing on end.

  Out of the corner of my eye I can see Dawnfrost's mouth opening and shutting soundlessly as she edges closer to me.

  This was not in the plan… although what _was_ in the plan I'm not quite sure.  Not this however.

  Dawnfrost has reached me and is pressing into my side, unintentionally I edge forwards for a step, causing alarm, fear, and—something else—to flare in the Changeling's eyes as she flinches back for a moment and then bristles at me, emitting a loud, very feline, hiss of defiance.

  _What the Hells am I supposed to do now?_  I wonder to myself.  The decision, however, isn't apparently up to me.

  Reeka suddenly flaps past the living statue that is Dawnfrost and me and thuds onto the back of the couch, his claws digging deep into the soft padding—

  —the Changling tenses up into an unmistakeable 'attack' posture and I let out an involuntary cry—

  "Don't—"

  —Nadran's presence suddenly fills the room and I can feel his attention is centred on the Changling as he seizes hold of her mind to stop her attacking my Bondbird.

  _Tries_ to—the Changling shudders all over and emits and growl before doing—something— that evades Nadran's mental grasp and leaves him able to do nothing except broadcast shock.

  _Oh Gods—_

_  :Reeka!:_

  The Changling rears back on her hind legs and raises her left paw, claws fully flexed—and they are _big_ claws—to strike at Reeka.

~~~~~

^-^  ~falls over the side of the cliff hanger~  Well I _finally_ got this done… I've been having a real go slow on this recently… I've only been able to write like a page (at most!) at a time… plus I had these nasty thing called end of year exams to have at with a pointy pencil.  ~sigh~  Well, there ya go!  Next chapter will definitely be in Cat's PoV.  I promise on one of my nine lives!  Oh… I've started a Valdemar 'fic library type thing, if you're interested, take a squizz at my profile page for more details!  ~shamelessly promotes~ :D

**Reviewer Response:**

**Lori**- Well, here's the next chapter, hope you like!

**Kyalia**-  Mmm… ice cream… Well I suppose I could dispatch evil to find some… ~looks pointedly at evil-cat who waves a Ribena ice-lolly around and cackles~ …or not as it appears.

**LeopardDance**- lol Why thankees!  I'm glad you're pitching a flag in Shadowstar's corner as well as Cat's, as most of the reviews so far seem to be rather anti-Shadowstar… ~pats sniffling Tayledras scout on the head~  Na, see, LeopardDance likes you!

**Jeanne and trinati2001**- Here ya go, another chapter!


	4. Threatening Gestures

~evil-cat skips past~  Valdemar RP goodness!  :D  Oh, and a disclaimer… :  The concepts and worlds of Valdemar and Velgarth such as Heralds, Companions, Bondbirds, Tayledras, Shin'a'in, dyheli, and the rest are the sole property of the author Mercedes Lackey.  Basically if you recognise it, it ain't mine… in saying that, so far all the characters are original alters of mine, ask before you use!

**Chapter Four- Threatening Gestures.**

  My head hurts.  Lots.  What is surprising, however, is that the rest of me isn't.  Hurting, that is.  Well, it _is_, but nowhere near as much as before—

  —before what?

  _Hmmm…_

  I'm not making any sense, am I?

  Put that down to… to… what ever happened to me.

  _What _did_ happen to me?  The last thing I remember is that bird and—_

_ —the Hawkbrother— I'm not dead?_

  A moment of contemplation and I decide that I am indeed still alive, although I'm definitely not in the forest any more— the smells that my nose is starting to inform me off are all wrong.  There's far too much raptor musk and two-legger stink-

  _I think I'm in a lot of trouble…_

  I slowly deepen my breathing and try to pull myself awake without giving away any sign that I am waking up.  As I do, the smells increase in strength and sounds begin to filter into my head.  Voices?  Maybe, I think so… human ones… the deeper one is male and I think I recognise it somehow.  The second one is higher sounding and female.  Whoever they are, they are talking, the sounds of which are underscored by the chirps and rustles of a large bird and the clinking of somethings.

  I'm lying on my side and appear to be on something soft, which is strange.  Why would _they_ put _me_ on something soft?  

  I'm now completely awake, behind the darkness of my closed eyes.  Now what do I do?  I can't just keep on lying here for infinity, but if they see I'm awake—

  But I can't just _lay_ here.

  I crack open both eyes cautiously, feeling my pupils contract down almost painfully at the sudden influx of light and resist the urge to blink to clear the dazzle.  Instead I wait patiently until my eyes adjust and I can actually see—

—pale wood and splashes of colour and some furniture and that bird from before.  Which looks up and lets out a caw of delight and starting chirping _and_ speaking.

  _:Awake!:_

  Movement at the far end of the room, near to the bird that can only be the owners of the voices.

  _:Awake!  Awake!:_

_  Shut _up_ stupid bird!  They'll see!  They'll se- they're _looking_!_

  Instinct takes over at that point and I'm over the back of the whatever-I'm-lying-on and bristling against the wall before I even realize what I'm doing.

  The man— and I recognise him as the Bird-man I pulled out of the stream— lurches across the room and halts on the far side of the seat-thing I have just dived off and stares at me in utter shock.

  I bristle warningly and hiss.  I'm not stupid.

  The owner of the second voice I heard, a woman who is done up in a similar kind of outlandish clothing as the man, is edging closer to the man— towards me.  She bumps into the Bird-man and he stumbles forwards.

  _Threat!  Fear-alarm-anger!  Fight!  Try it and I'll bite you I will!  I will!_  I don't even notice the yowling hiss that spits around my whiskers and sends menacing shivers through my fur.

  The man stiffens at my response and seems frozen in place.  Same as me then, but I'll fight if I have to—

  Noisy bird, the one who told them I was awake suddenly drops out of the air, landing of the chair-thing in front of me and I tense and half rear up— freeing my front paws and claws to deal with the threat—

  —Bird-man yelps something that sounds panicked—

  —and—

  —growing pressure, as if a huge storm is coming and I can feel it clamping around my head, except that it's wrong and there's no storm and—

  _:Don't do that little Changling—:_

_  Panic!_  

  A strange voice, in my head—feeling of plants and four legs and…deer?, and _it's _the one making the pressure, trying to smother my mind and myself and I don't ever want that to happen again.  I'm not going to be like that again—

  I twist inside the confines of my own head, trying to make my 'self' small and slippery to evade the mental grasping and it works, I shrug off the clutching mental hands and I'm free and I rear up more and bristle and pull my paw back and flex my claws—

  —and freeze as another mental voice echoes through my head, this one keening in panic.

  _Who is that?  What is that?  What is _happening_ to me!_

  What do I do?

  I can kill the bird and that will put the man into shock for long enough for me to escape—_and go where?_—and the woman will probably be occupied with the man—_but what about the whatever that just tried to grab me?_

  For the first time I actually look at the raptor in front of me and it's golden-brown eyes catch my green ones.  The stupid thing doesn't seem to be scared of the fact that I could kill it without a second thought. 

  It looks puzzled more than anything.  _:Why cat scared?:_  The bird tilts it's head to one side and fluffs it's feathers slightly as it continues to stare at me.

  My only response is to struggle to control myself, to prevent my eyes from widening in shock any more.

  _I should think that was fairly obvious!_  A small part of my mind laughs harshly to itself.  This is worse than a disaster.  I'm trapped and out-numbered and I haven't got anywhere left to run and I'm about to most likely get killed— _or worse stupid animal…_

  So I stand frozen.  Staring dumbly at the bird, who is staring back at me, whilst in the background stand the two Hawkbrothers.  The man is sheet white and looks on the verge of tears.

  _:Why cat not talk to Reeka?:_

  My gaze is dragged back towards the bird who is giving me a somewhat peeved look, and is _still_ apparently not bothered by the carnivore looming at him.  Speaking of which, my hind legs, whilst not chewed up like before, are starting to burn and tremble with fatigue and the muscles in my back are starting to protest at my stiff and awkward position.

  I slowly relax somewhat, sinking back on my haunches, tail and rear sliding down the wooden wall I'm pressed against, until I'm sitting more naturally, but still in a defensive posture and blink slowly at the bird.

  _:Name is Reeka.:_  The hawk points out helpfully.  _:You have name?:_

_  :I—uh…no—:_  I stammer a reply, utterly confused as the Bird-man takes in several large gulps of air and sways almost imperceptibly, the woman laying a steadying hand on his shoulder.

  _:Reeka— please come away—:_  Any more shocks and my eyes will be wide enough to simply roll put of my head and around on the floor.  _This_ mental voice—yet _another_ one— is male, and sounds like the mental keen from before and the noises that the Bird-man was making with his mouth, except that I can understand these.

  The hawk, Reeka, chirrs in disapproval and fidgets with his feet.  _:Talk to cat, want know cat's name.:_  He insists, and then looks back at the man, before switching his gaze back to me.  _:Worry-worry Reeka's Bondmate, called Shadowstar.:_  Reeka informs me.  _:Sure not have name?:_

_  :I don't know…I don't think so.:_  I admit warily, my fur continues to prickle and the humans murmur to each other— both sound very confused and are staring at the hawk and myself.

  _:Reeka?:_  The Bird-man again, his sending focused on his bird.  _:Reeka, are you speaking to Nadran as well?:_

_  :Tccah!  Silly Shadowstar.:_  Amazingly, the bird manages a derisive snort and the man, Shadowstar, blinks in a surprised fashion.  _:Reeka talk to cat-has-no-name.:_  At that, Shadowstar's expression goes blank with shock and the woman nudges him repeatedly in the side, whispering something, until he replies in a dazed sounding voice.

  Whatever he said must've been pretty exciting as the woman's tone changes to shock and excitement and she gestures in a significant looking fashion before turning piercing blue eyes on me.  The man follows suit and I find myself under the scrutiny of two sets of bright blue eyes.  Admittedly, the man still looks rather shocked.

  The being stared at is very uncomfortable and I can feel my fur prickling up and down my back as my hackles rise somewhat.

  The man swallows and looks nervously around before sliding one foot forward slightly, edging closer.  I tense up and rumble a slight growl in reflex response and the man freezes as the woman clutches at his arm, before he shakes her off and steps closer again, this time sinking down onto his knees as he does so.

  This puts us at level height, which unaccountably makes me feel the tiniest bit more relaxed, despite the fact that he is continuing to shuffle closer, until he is leaning his arms on the seat of the chair-thing, next to Reeka-bird.

  Reeka chirps happily and bends to nibble affectionately at his Bondmate's fingers, obviously urging him to scratch his crest.  Which the man does absently as confused dark-ice eyes stare at me.  Finally he seems to come to a decision.

   A faint tingle spreads across my head.  _:Hello?:_  

  I stare steadily and blankly at him.

  _:Hello?  Can you understand me?:_

  I don't respond, and he sighs, before trying again.  _:Look, Reeka seems to think that—that— I don't know…but we don't want to hurt you.  I don't want to hurt you.  I just want to know if you can understand me—:_  At that, the man breaks off the thread of Mindspeech, but he continues the thought, and loud enough for me to pick up,  _—or if I would be having a more productive time talking to the wall._

  A silent snort and I focus on Reeka.  _:Tell him to go talk to the wall then.:_  I say shortly to the bird, who burbles in amusement.

  _:Cat-no-name say Shadowstar go talk to wall.:_  The sun tail hawk says to the man.

  His eyes widen and dart between his Bondbird and myself.  _:You're really talking to her, Reeka?:_  He asks, before his eyes settle on me once more.

  _:Say so, so am.:_  Reeka points out with slight annoyance.  _:Why cat-no-name not talk to Bondmate?:_  Now I'm the focus of the irritated bird.  _:Make  Shadowstar ask stupid questions, give Reeka ache-head.:_

_  Well excuse me!_  Stupid bird.

  _:Cat talk!:_

_  :No!:_

_  :Cat talk to Bondmate!:_

_  :No I will not!:_  I'm not going to do anything on the say-so of a bird.

  _:Reeka, what are you doing?:_  That's the Bird-man, who has been staring at the pair of us, obviously he can hear what his bird is saying.

  _:Make cat talk!  Want cat talk!:_  The hawk hops from foot to foot and looks up at his Bondmate's face.

  _:I'm not going to talk to that human, bird.:_  I insist flatly.

  _:Cat talked!:_  Reeka whips his head back around to look at me.  _:Name Reeka, not bird!:_  As the hawk and myself engage in a staring match, the man sighs and says something in a confused sounding voice, in response to an equally puzzled—and impatient—sounding question from the Bird-woman.  They seem to be disagreeing over something.  Finally the man shrugs.

  _:Nadran—:_  Shadowstar-man is reaching out again, this time to someone else, _:—can you hear her?:_

_  And who does he think he's talking to?_  I find out within short-order, at the man's calling a presence fills the room, and once again I get the sensation of horns and hooves and plants and power.

  _:I cannot, young Shadowstar.  I can try to speak to her however.:_  It's that voice, the one from before, the one that tried to crush me and it's a threat!  

  _Threat!_

_  :Can you hear me, little Changling?:_

  Mental bristling, make myself bigger, scarier, I'm not scared!  I'm not!  I'm not!

  _:I'll fight you if you try attack again!  I will!  I will!:_

  The presence, the 'Nadran' lurches back in obvious surprise at my threat.  _:She spoke!:_  He sends this startled statement reverberating around the room and I tense into a defensive posture and attempt to brazen him out.

  _:Not lie!  Bite you, I will!  Can't catch me!  Can't trap me!:_

_  :Wait!:_  The male Nadran-voice cuts across my ranting.  _:Please… didn't you hear Shadowstar?  We don't want to hurt you—:_

  The Bird-man is reacting with shock, he can hear the Nadran's voice, but not mine still.  I'm very good at coning down my Mindvoice to specific people.  Or not-people as is currently the case.  He stares at me, and starting babbling something in his Bird-man language, which makes about as much sense as a flying fish to _me._

  _:She can't understand you Shadowstar.:_

  Man blinks and mutters something.  _:Hello?:_  He's trying Mindspeech again.  _:Nadran's right, we _don't _want to hurt you…I you know you can't lie mind to mind?  Please believe me—us.:_

_  :Silly cat-no-name!:_

  That is _it_.  I have had it with stupid birds trying to boss me around!  I whirl and fix the hawk with a glare.

  _:Stop shouting at me, stupid bird!:_  I do a fair attempt at shouting myself, sloppy sending and all.  Well… at least Bird-man and Nadran-thing will stop trying to get me to talk, they certainly heard that.

  _:Called Reeka!:_  The bird insists loudly.

  _:I don't care!:_  I shoot back hotly, as Shadowstar-man rocks back on his knees, face blank with shock, a look that is mirrored on the woman's face.

  _:Bad shout cat.:_

_  :You're the one that started it bird!:_

_  :Name Reeka!:_

  Reeka glares at me, and I glare back at him in silence, my tail lashing from side to side and fluffed up.

  Impasse…

~~~~~

Yay!  Writer's Block fought with and beaten…at least for these five odd pages… oh well…  Sorry it's not that long, but I have been battling the unimaginable WB monsters for a while… plus working 40 odd hour weeks (plus all the extra stuff I have to do lol)  Anyways, here it is!

Reviews as ever appreciated!

Reviewer Responses 

**Rosethorn- **Eeep!  Don't crisp me!  Look ~points~ chapter!  Chapter!

**Aristel-**  Glad you like Shadowstar… as for Reeka, he's a baggage.  ~gets pecked~  Owww!  Stop it bird!

**Fireblade-** Oooo… flag-age for me?  :D

**Fergiaj-** Well, Reeka isn't dead as you can see… he's just making a thorough nuisance of himself— ~gets pecked some more~  Ow!  Owww!

**LeopardDance- **Yea, Shadowstar's a bit daft like that… hope you're happy with this little jaunt in Cat's PoV!

**Tsukinoko1-** :D  Thankees, for the record I passed my uni modules and my RCVS exams (yay!) as for what Cat looks like… take a squizz at my profile for my website address and go to Scribbles, and then the Can't Catch Me page, there's a coupla pics of Cat there.  One that I drew (and that got me started on this story in the first place) and one that Senashenta very kindly did for me!

**AtheneMiranda-**  I know… ~tsks~  silly trigger happy Tayledras— ~smacks Shadowstar around the head~

"Ow!  What was _that_ for?!"

I felt like it, alter-mine… :D  ~cackle~

**MeghanK- **Of course she couldn't be rational ~laughs~ None of my alters are rational!  :D

**Katsiebee- **Why thankees!  If you're after good fic-age, then check out **Senashenta** and **Firefox**'s stuff!  They're both on my favourite stories/authors lists along with other groovy Valdemar fanfic-age!    


	5. Shocked Syllables

Disclaimer:  The world of Velgarth and the concepts relating to it such as Heralds, Companions, Bondbirds, Tayledras, the Mage storms and all those other little things that we love are the property of the author Mercedes Lackey.  I just 'fic.  Badly.

Notes:  Yup, back to the dual PoV fun, and we're back in the mind and world view of a certain Tayledras by the name of Shadowstar… Spiffy…

**Chapter Five- Shocked Syllables.**

  _:Stop shouting at me, stupid bird!:_  The angry voice echoes through my skull and I rock back on my heels as my face freezes in an expression of shocked surprise.

  Besides me, Reeka mantles his feathers and retorts.  _:Called Reeka!:_

  "It—she—" I can vaguely hear Dawnfrost's stuttering voice behind me; she must be hearing this too.

  _:I don't care!:_  The Changeling's tail lashes from side to side and her ears flatten close to her head.

  _:Bad shout cat!:_  Reeka makes up for my stunned silence by loudly admonishing the feline creature before us.

  A feeling of annoyance edged with something unidentifiable flares briefly around me and green cat eyes narrow.  _:You're the one that started it bird!:_

_  :Name Reeka!:_  My Bondbird is practically vibrating with annoyance and is softly chittering to himself under his breath as his claws score deep grooves in the padded chair that he is currently perched on, catching at the loose threads and playing merry cob with the woven fabric.

  The brief— if very vocal— mental spat seems to be over and Reeka and the Changeling seem to be content to trade filthy looks with each other.  I'm still frozen in place, my body locked in a half crouched position, hands still balancing themselves on the same blue-covered bench/chair effort that Reeka is unintentionally destroying, whilst my mind runs around in incoherent little circles.

  _She talks.  She talks.  She _talks_…  She talked.  She talks!  _She_ talks!_

  The tiny bit of me still connected to the dyheli King-stag standing below my ekele is only registering the same blank shock and surprise that seems to be becoming very fashionable in these parts.

  Silence becomes all pervading in my home, so when Dawnfrost hesitantly touches my shoulder with one trembling hand the highly undignified squeak I produce as I jump sounds very loud indeed.

  I flail my hands and arms as I loose my balance and tumble backwards, landing on my rump and banging into Dawnfrost's legs as she stumbles backwards across the room.  Reeka squawks and skitters sideways, and the Changeling tenses and hits the ground so fast I don't even see her move… Of course that might have more to do with me suddenly finding myself sprawled on the rug-covered wooden floor than with her speed of movement… but then again, maybe not.

  _:Bad Shadowstar.:_  Reeka mutters his further disapproval as he flaps his wings and lumbers over to his perch, where he begins to preen his ruffled feathers.

  I blink and look back to the corner of the room containing the bench, over which I can just make out a pair of extremely suspicious emerald eyes, framed by silver and black fur.  A small part of me notes that her ears are now completely pinned back against her skull.

  Someone should say something— other than Reeka who is currently informing me that I am a Very Bad Bondmate— and after another long moment I manage to come up with a phrase that I feel sums up the situation perfectly.

  "Ow."

  Long, graceful whiskers twitch slightly and dark pupils focus completely on me, which is somewhat un-nerving.

  "I think I second that."  Dawnfrost's voice is not much above a thin and uncertain whisper from behind and above me— a whisper that fades out to nothingness as my fellow Tayledras also finds herself the subject of the strangely intense stare of the Changeling.

  Right, now I need a reply.  Or a conversation starter, or a something…  Something diplomatic, intelligent, witty, clever and guaranteed to make everything happy and good.

  I manage; "Um…"

  _:Stupid Bondmate, stupid cat-:_ Reeka's muttering becomes clear for a moment before fading to a background rumble in my mind once more.  From the look of the Changeling, she's hearing him too and I hope fervently that another shouting match doesn't start up.  I don't think my nerves could stand it.

  After a brief glance at my sun tail hawk, I find myself once more the subject of a bottomless green stare.  Actually, if I'm managing at all at reading the expressions on the alien face before me, 'bottomless green _glare_' would be a more accurate description.  "Um," I manage again, "hello…"

   Feline eyes narrow and I silently kick myself.  _You already know that she doesn't understand Tayledras, stupid scout!_

  Let's try another way then.  _:Um,:_ I sound just as much a daft fool in Mindspeech; having sentient Changelings careening about one's ekele _does_ that to a person, _:hello.:_  A brief, pregnant pause follows my pitiful attempt, which I use to pull myself into a proper sitting position, one hand straying to tangle in my leaf litter strewn and blotchy dyed brown and green hair in a futile attempt to dislodge some of the debris.  Also, to give me something to _do_ as that stare is _very_ un-nerving.

  _:Look, I know you can understand me.:_  A long, slow blink that somehow manages to convey mountains of scepticism.  I slowly and carefully begin to shuffle myself towards the clawed bench behind which the Changeling is sheltering, provoking a rumbling growl.  _:I'm not going to hurt you, none of us are.:_

  Flat silence, but I make it to the reclined chair and now I'm sitting on my knees, hands fidgeting awkwardly in my lap as I stare at the tense and un-co-operative feline sitting on her haunches opposite me.  An absent part of me notices that we're in remarkably similar postures.

  _:Please talk to me.:_  My Mindvoice has a pleading tone to it and I try to lock my own blue eyes with the disconcerting green ones opposite me.  She has a curiously expressionless face, and I'm not entirely sure whether it's because she's… well… not human, or because she's very good at maintaining a neutral mask.

  Another pause, and I sigh inaudibly with frustration and close my eyes briefly.

  _:Why?:_

  I almost topple over again as I jerk my head up, eyes flying wide open in surprise at the soft and suspicion laden word that echoes in my mind.

  _:!:_  I manage to exclaim without words— sounding more like Reeka than myself.

  _:Yes?:_  The same voice, this time with a cold frosting to the sending, an iciness that is matched by the narrow cat-eyes that are still fixed unblinking on me.

  _:Shadowstar not talk good.:_  Reeka pipes up with an accompanying mental sniff.  _:Cat get no sense from Bondmate, silly human.:_

_  :I'd noticed that.:_

  I'm being ganged up on by a Bondbird and a Changeling.  Gods.

 _:Reeka—:_ I try to admonish my wayward bird and receive an unflattering mental picture and a rude sound in response, before the hawk in question busies himself with preening one wing.

  _:Umm…:_  I try again, returning my gaze to the Changeling, who is still staring at me.

  _:What?:_  The really disconcerting thing is that although she is speaking— and is obviously intelligent— there are no signs of it on her face.  If you look at a kyree or a dyheli, or even one of the Herald's Companions, then you can _see_ the intelligence in their eyes.  Not so here, but I get the faint impression that this is a carefully orchestrated act.

  _:One doesn't exactly blame her.:_  Nadran quietly observes in the back of my mind and I reply with a feeling of a nodding head.

  _:I, uh…hello.:_

_  :You said that already.:_  The Mindvoice of the Changeling is quiet low pitched and husky sounding— although definitely female in overtone.  It also sounds distinctly unfriendly at the moment.

  _:Well I'm not exactly versed in methods of friendly communication with m—Changechildren!:_  I burst out, before I really think about it.

  A snort breaks the silence of the ekele and I sense Dawnfrost starting behind me.  _:You mean 'monsters'.:_  The Changeling points out flatly.

  _:I do not!:_  I retort.  So… we've moved on from my Bondbird arguing with the Changeling to _me_ arguing with the Changeling.  Not really much progress.

  _:That is what you were going to say before you corrected yourself.:_  The observation is made in a flat tone.

  _:I—well I didn't mean it—it was just an…:_  I trail off before my idiotic sputterings dig me an even deeper metaphorical hole to jump into.  Somehow I think I should have shut my mind up before it even started that sentence.  I cough uncomfortably at the mixed look the Changeling is giving me.

  _:An instinctive, knee-jerk response?  Oh, I know _all_ about them.:_  Her Mindvoice is dark and low and carries a hint of things that I desperately do not want to know about.  Scratch not starting that sentence; I should just have never opened my big fat mouth in the first place.

  _:Sorry?:_  I venture after an uncomfortable moment of silence in which I fiddle with a scrap of my hair again.  A wall of darkness and scepticism is the only response I get. Maybe a different tactic…

  _:Thank you.:_

  _:What?!:_  I can taste the thick surprise— almost bordering on shock and the green eyes that are still fastened on me widen momentarily, before narrowing once more with suspicion.  I'm probably deluding myself, but I think maybe a little _less_ suspicion.  I hope so at any rate.

  _:For pulling me out of that stream, I mean.:_  I elaborate slightly.  This is good; a conversation is happening.  Conversations are good things.  Much nicer than arguments.

  _:You were hardly going to drown.:_  Her tone of voice is now slightly derisive and a depreciating snort accompanies the sending.  _:Besides, it was the only way to get the bird to shut up.:_

_  :Name Reeka!:_

  Instead of jerking my head around to stare at my Bondbird again— who I can sense rumbling in the back of my mind— I keep my attention fixed on the Changeling and catch the slight twitch of the left side of her mouth.  If she were human or hertasi, I'd say that she was maybe suppressing a smile.  For some reason I feel the side of my face twitch, almost as if I'm responding— until, that is, Reeka begins to grumble at me again.

  _:Stupid cat not know Reeka name, make Reeka mad!:_  The endless complaint is underscored by vocal chirrs and chirps of disgust.  _:Why Shadowstar not do something?:_

_  That is a very good question, why don't I do something?_  I sigh and rub my head with one hand, I think I'm starting to get a headache.  Another one.

  "Shadowstar?"  The half whispered word in Tayledras abruptly reminds me that Dawnfrost is also in the room and I half turn to look at her out of the corner of one eye.

  "Mmhmm?"  I try to sound as non-committal and unthreatening as I can as I keep a weather eye on the Changeling, who has returned to silently watching me.

  "Was that… I mean; did I hear—?"  Dawnfrost sounds confused and un-nerved.  Funny that.  I don't blame her at all actually, I mean she barely has enough Animal Mindspeech to talk to her Bondbird, and suddenly having irate Changelings blistering the inside of your head with arguments is _bound_ to be unsettling.

  "Yes," I say simply, while my mind works furiously.  Maybe… introductions?  "Dawnfrost, come over here slowly and sit next to me."  I keep my voice low and soft.  Look; unthreatening Hawkbrother… see how nice he is?

  A nervous laugh.  "If you're sure," her voice wobbles ever so slightly and I can hear her as she sidles her way across the wooden floor of the ekele towards me.  I keep my attention on the Changeling— every muscle tenses and she begins to divide her concentration between myself and Dawnfrost, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  A light touch on my shoulder and Dawnfrost slides downwards to sit next to me, both legs curled off to one side so that she is leaning towards me.  She swallows, "so…" an uncomfortable cough.  "What now?"

  "Introductions."  I reply, before reaching out again with a thin tendril of Mindspeech.

  _:Uh,:_ yet again, another astounding beginning to the conversation from me, _:I'm called Shadowstar—:_

_  :I gathered that from him.:_  An impression of Reeka.  Ah, yes… he has been flinging my name about, hasn't he?

  _:Oh right well… that's Reeka,:_ I ignore the fact that certain hawks have also been flinging their _own_ names about regardless, _:and this is Dawnfrost.:_  I touch Dawnfrost on one shoulder with a hand.  _:Uh, do you have a name?:_

  A fluid, almost shrug.  _:No.:_  Oh… right… well… that shot down that idea then.

  "Well," I switch to vocal speech again, "that didn't really work, um, Dawnfrost this is— Cat, I guess."

  "You just made that up, didn't you?"  Dawnfrost raises one eyebrow at me and sniffs, before turning her attention to the Changeling.  "Hello."

  "Maybe."  I say guardedly.  "But she said she hasn't got a name so I… uh… improvised."

  "That is obvious."  Dawnfrost points out, attention still on Cat.  I think that they're trading… well; non-hostile looks with each other.  I good thing I guess. 

  Belatedly I remember that Cat can't understand Tayledras.  _:Dawnfrost just said hello.  Uh, she's not really got Mindspeech except for with um animals.:_

  The Changeling blinks slowly and I catch a faint hint of bemusement ,which elicits a resigned sigh from the Healer seated next to me.  "Shadowstar, are you fluffing things up?"

  "Uh…"

  "I thought so," Dawnfrost brushes a trailing piece of her hair out of her eyes and elbows me solidly.  "How about I speak and you just translate?"  I rub my ribs and refrains from muttering.  She managed to find one of the many sore spots I'm currently nursing— what happened to her being all shocked then?  The answer to that is, she's got something to concentrate and focus on; namely herding me about.

  I think sometimes that Dawnfrost is the sister I never had, unless all women are like this?  You know, I'm glad I'm the only one privy to my internal commentary.

  "Shadowstar," I'm being subjected to a crispy skin glare, "pay attention."  Dawnfrost focuses her attention on the Changeling behind the padded bench.  "I guess Shadowstar already said hello and tried to convince you that we don't mean you any harm.  Given that your still looking worried, I'm guessing he wasn't that convincing."

  "Hey—"  I start to protest and get another nudge in the ribs for my pains so I give a resigned sigh and begin reciting Dawnfrost's words in open Mindspeech.

  It occurs to me that control is not something I have over my life…

~~~~~

Yeah… not updated for ages, and this is fair pantsy… I just totally argued myself into a corner at the end of chapter four and couldn't seem to convincingly write my way out of it fully.  Hence this, which is sort of a space filler if nothing else… sorry.

*sighs*

Well, not sure who's PoV we'll be in for chapter six, although I'm hoping it'll be Cat as Shadowstar hasn't just given a headache to himself!

*wags paw at Tayledras alter in a meaningful fashion*

**Reviewer Response:**  Just a general one this time!  Basically and thank you for reading the first four chapters, sorry for the delay and the crappiness of this one, and yup, LeopardDance, I had noticed… there was a bug on my profile that wouldn't let me change it initially however lol.  Still, my bad in the first place… la la la…


	6. Sunbathing

**Disclaimer:** Anything and everything recognisable relating to the world of Velgarth is the sole property of Mercedes Lackey.

**Notes:** Um, so…. Not since last February have I worked on this… um… oops?

**Chapter Six- Sunbathing.**

_I like the sun._

I have come to this rather thoughtful conclusion after spending the better part of this morning lying in a very warm patch of sunlight on, for want of a better phrase, the roof of the Stupid Heavy Lump Man's tree house. It catches the sun very well, and the tree branch that crosses across the middle of it means that there's not much chance of rolling off.

It's also quiet up here— or rather, it _was_ quiet until Stupid Bird turned up a moment ago and started squawking at me. Like a chicken.

_:Reeka called Reeka and not stupid chicken!_ I open one eye in time to catch the filthy glare the sun tailed hawk is giving me from his perch in the tree next to Stupid Heavy Lump Man's.

Stretching slightly, so that my claws dig into the strange roof covering, I open my other eye and blink at the bird, who makes as much of a tutting sound as something with a beak _can_ and mantles his feathers. _:Cat make holes in Bondmate roof! All get wet when rains if do that.:_

_:I'm not making holes, _ I protest in an aggrieved voice, pulling myself into a sitting position, resting on the slanted roof and leaning against the corded hump of the large tree branch. _:My claws are hardly going to damage this pile of wood and glue, are they?_

_:Not say bad things about home— Shadowstar build with hertasi, bad cat say nasty things!_ Reeka's complaining reaches a new level of piercing as he begins to include his unfortunate Bondmate in on our current argument.

A muffled sigh drifts outwards from the side of the tree house, followed by a voice out one of the open windows; I recognise Reeka's name at the beginning of it, but the rest is incomprehensible Tayledras in a male voice. It makes the bird flap his wings and dive off the branch and inside through the window, however, which gives me back the peace and quiet.

I'm giving some serious thought to lying back down and absorbing some more sunlight, when the unmistakable smell of lunch reaches my nose. My whiskers switch and I have to lick my lips as my mouth starts salivating of its own accord— this lets my stomach in on the secret and it immediately begins rumbling. It's been spoilt this past two weeks.

Giving in to the inevitable, plus the very real possibility of annoying Reeka further, I stand up and pad to the edge of the roof. Leaning over the side I judge the distance from the roof to the open window below, before turning around and sliding rump first off the roof until my hind paws make contact with the window ledge and I eel my way inside, landing gracefully on the wooden floor of the room.

When that Healer person, Dawnfrost, Heals you, you get Healed good.

This is the upstairs of the tree house and it consists of a single room that is pretty much filled with a vaguely circular bed and piles of floor cushions. I wrinkle my nose at the bed as I cross the room— although not bad smelling, it is very much a pointer that the inhabitant of this silly house-on-a-stick is male and has a stupid smelly male bird living with him— and bump the door leading onto the curving staircase with my nose.

As I enter the main room of the tree house, Reeka's whining sendings become crystal clear again. _:nasty things about ekele! Bad Cat make fun of Reeka, call chicken!_ Rolling my eyes, I slide into the room and onto the large floor cushion that has unofficially become mine.

Shadowstar turns at the movement and gazes at me, the skin around his eyes twitching slightly as Reeka's complaints reach ever more piercing heights. I return his gaze unperturbed and twitch my whiskers. _:What's to eat?_

He sighs softly. In the two weeks since I dragged him out the stream and then he dragged me to this silly house-on-a-stick I have become more at ease around him… in part, I think because he is a complete soft touch. I mean, how stupid do you have to be to bring potentially dangerous Changelings back to your _home_!

The answer is; as stupid as a Heavy Lump Man.

"Reeka—" I recognise that spoken word as the hawks name, and the warning tone finally causes him to stop whining at his Bondmate.

_:On the table:_ he says to me, pointing with one hand. _:Dawnfrost is going to be here in a little while.:_

I ignore him whilst concentrating on the more important matter at hand; leaping towards the table and beating Reeka to the biggest rabbit carcass. Or, more accurately; beating Reeka to the biggest rabbit carcass yet _again_.

Victorious, with said rabbit firmly in my mouth, I give the hawk a smug look, twitch my tail and wander leisurely back to my cushion. From the direction of the low table, I can hear Reeka making what can only be avian swear words.

I snicker and outwardly ignore him, instead applying myself to eating the rabbit pinned beneath my front paws.

Stupid Heavy Lump Man has his own plate of food, which he picks over slowly as he watches me eat. His expression is inscrutable, which is a relatively common experience. I lick my whiskers and stop chewing on a leg bone to look back at him.

_:I'm staring, aren't I?_ He sounds rueful. _:I apologise. I was just…wondering, I guess.:_

_:About what? _ I am not really one for playing word games.

Shadowstar blinks at my directness and waves one hand about for a moment. _:Well:_ he finally says, _:I can't help but notice that your um…paws… are more like, well, hands—:_

_:Y-es, and?_

_:You… don't seem to— use— them…?_ I glance down at my paws as Shadowstar limps to a verbal halt.

_Stupid Heavy Lump Man._ I think to myself with an internal head shake. _:Oh.:_ I say out loud. After a short pause I return to gnawing on the leg bone.

He pokes at his food with a fork and flushes slightly— something that I see in my peripheral vision. _:I guess I just notice silly things—:_ he can say that again, _:and speak before I think sometimes.:_ He can say _that_ again, as well.

Relative silence, apart from the sounds of one Changeling and one raptor having at their dinners, descends in the house-on-a-stick as the three of us continue to eat. Having completely destroyed one thigh bone, I pile the shards up in front of my cushion and switch my attentions to the other rabbit leg with some enthusiasm.

_:Bondmate here:_ The happy— and _high pitched_— call echoes around my head and I flinch and gather myself into a defensive posture as I look around. That was _not_ Reeka.

Shadowstar doesn't seem to be bothered, instead finishing a mouthful of food. The sun tailed hawk himself hunches over his rabbit and looks disgruntled. _:Noisy Kiiir come.:_ He complains mournfully. _:Noisy Kiiir worse than nasty mean Cat:_

_Ah—_ Kiiir is Dawnfrost's bondbird, and she is, indeed, noisy. I like her, though; maybe because we both seem to annoy Reeka in equal amounts. I relax slightly, just as the brown and grey peregrine falcon alights on the ledge of one of the open windows. _:Hello Kiiir.:_ I wave my tail at the bird, who flips her wings as she looks around.

_:Hello stripy cat:_ She greets me cheerfully. _:Shadowstar! Bondmate send Kiiir to say that nearly here, let down climbing sticks please:_

Shadowstar bobs his head and says something in Tayledras as a reply, before standing up and walking over to the house-on-a-stick's front door to let down the climbing ladder.

I return my attention to chewing the last of the goodness out of the remaining rabbit leg. I can easily hear both Shadowstar and Dawnfrost's voices as they chatter together, the Healer's voice getting louder as she apparently climbs up the ladder. Within short order Dawnfrost clatters noisily into the room.

"_Zhai'helleva!"_ She cheerfully greets me with one of the few Bird-people words that I've managed to pick up. It means 'hello' as near as I can guess.

_:Hello.:_ I add the remains of the rabbit leg to the pile of bone fragments and lick a paw to give my face a quick wash. Shadowstar pulls the door closed as he follows Dawnfrost. He has a strange expression on his face and I cock my head to one side as I stare at him.

_:Dawnfrost has just given me some… interesting… news.:_ He says finally.

I continue to eye him in a puzzled fashion, glancing over at Dawnfrost every so often. _:What?_ I finally ask, after the silence has dragged out.

"_Shadowstar—"_ I recognise Heavy Lump Man's name, but the rest of Dawnfrost's words are meaningless to me. By the way that she's just elbowed Shadowstar and is now wagging one finger at him as she speaks, I can get the general gist of what she's saying.

They both turn back to me and Dawnfrost gives me an intent look, before saying something in Tayledras. Shadowstar gives a long suffering sigh and translates for me.

_:I'm relaying what Dawnfrost is saying.:_ He says, the disgruntled _again_ clear in his tone. _:Apparently I beat about the bush too much—:_ he breaks off and exchanges a few words with Dawnfrost. _:Which I'm still doing, apparently…:_

Dawnfrost smiles at me and I twitch one ear. _:Cat—:_ I glance back to Shadowstar, _:apparently the Council have decided that… they would like to meet you.:_

I blink and rock back on my haunches, not entirely sure how to react, or even if I understand what Heavy Lump Man is saying. _:What?_

_:The Council… the Elders of the Vale. They knew about you and they've… decided they want to meet you.:_

_:Oh.:_ I say blankly. I did know that Dawnfrost and Shadowstar had had to go to some meeting or other at their Vale-place, just after I arrived. And I did know that said meeting was about me, but neither of them really said anything about it, other than Shadowstar telling me that I was welcome to stay with him if I wanted.

Dawnfrost crosses the room and kneels opposite me, holding out one hand as she says something.

Shadowstar makes the mental equivalent sound of clearing his throat. _:Dawnfrost says not to worry, and if anyone tries to be nasty to you, then she'll give them a good crack over the head and then make them drink to foulest headache tea ever brewed.:_

_:Oh.:_ I say again. _:Thank… you.:_ Dawnfrost reaches out and pats me on the shoulder, before standing up.

She turns to Shadowstar and he looks briefly surprised and exclaims something. Reeka squawks in protest at his loud voice and mantles his wings.

_:Noisy Shadowstar worse than Cat _and _Kiiir:_

_:Apparently…:_ Shadowstar looks at me. _:Apparently, any time _now_ would be good.:_ He says somewhat nervously.

_:Oh.:_ I seem to be saying that rather a lot. _:We are going to your Vale.:_ It's a statement, rather than a question… from the way that Shadowstar and Dawnfrost are acting, it's obvious that their 'Elders' are not going be stirred from their home for one little Changeling.

_:Yes, Are you alright with that?_ Shadowstar eyes me in a sideways fashion and I ripple my hide in an approximation of a shrug. I honestly don't know _how_ I feel, apart from suddenly nervous. After all; myself and humans don't have a good track record together.

Dawnfrost says something in an overly cheerful tone of voice and gestures to the doorway outside. I stand up and stretch as both birds ruffle their feathers, before taking wing in a flurry of air and exiting out an open window, Kiiir in the lead, Reeka grumbling about 'upstart pointy wings'.

Shadowstar moves to go upstairs, saying something in Tayledras as he waves one hand. _:I'm going to shut up the windows and meet you on the ground.:_ He adds for my benefit.

I complete my stretch and wander out onto the open sided platform built onto the front of Shadowstar's house-on-a-stick. Dawnfrost is already part way down the swaying rope ladder and I twitch my whiskers. I do _not _like that thing and, after one attempt to use it, I am sure the feelings would be reciprocated if it wasn't a bundle of ropes and wood.

I prefer my own method of getting down; which is to step down onto the wide branch that runs along the left side of the porch and walk along until it intersects with the equally large branch from the next tree along. From _that _branch, it's merely a matter of balance, jumping and occasional bits of climbing, to get down to the forest floor. Admittedly, the patch of forest floor I land on is not really that near the tree that the ekele is in, but if it means not having to use the ladder, I don't mind at all.

I lope easily back towards Shadowstar's tree, and I'm surprised to be met by, not only Dawnfrost, but Nadran as well. I stop and eye the dyheli up and down for a moment, before continuing at a slow walk towards them.

_:Hello Cat.:_ Nadran greets me in a cordial fashion, bobbing his head low and stepping forwards so that we briefly touch noses. _:I have something for you.:_

I sit down and look at the deer-like creature carefully. He returns my gaze steadily. _:Oh?_ I finally ask. I _really_ seem to be saying that a lot today.

_:Yes, the dyheli herd… along with a few others… took our own kind of vote.:_ Nadran twitches an ear in Dawnfrost's direction, but keeps looking at me. _:We have decided that it is time to give you the Tayledras language.:_

I'm sure I'd look a Hell of a lot less confused if I had the faintest idea what Nadran just said. _:Give me what?_ I manage.

_:The Tayledras language.:_ Nadran twitches his flanks as a fly buzzes past. _:King stags like myself have the ability to… well, I guess the simplest way to put it is; we can move 'packages' of information from one person's head to another, if needed.:_

_:Like… languages…?_ I say faintly.

Nadran looks pleased. _:Exactly so. I have already acquired the language I need from Dawnfrost, and merely need your permission to implant it.:_

I stare up at him, then slide my eyes sideways to Dawnfrost. She makes a reassuring gesture and smiles hopefully at me as she says something.

_:Dawnfrost says it would eliminate having to use Shadowstar as her translator… so you could have proper conversations.:_ Nadran says.

_:I… guess…:_ I say uncertainly. _:What would I have to do?_

_:Simply let me through your shields for a moment.:_ Nadran says calmly. I freeze and stare at him for a moment. Let someone through my _shields?_ They are pretty much the only thing I have that has ever been under my control! The dyheli waits quietly as I argue with myself.

Lowering my shields would present him with the perfect opportunity to hurt— possibly even kill— me, Hell, just look at what happened when he thought I was going to eat Reeka. But… on the other hand, I've no doubt that if he wanted to, then he could very well breach my shields with no permission required. And… to be perfectly honest, what have I got to lose?

_:O-kay—:_ I agree slowly, before pausing, slightly unsure on how to lower my shields to Nadran. In the end I settle for 'widening' the place where I can hear his Mindspeech.

The very next thing I know, I am lying sprawled on my front on the leaf litter, and there is a strange ringing sound in my ears.

_:Unfortunately, the best and least painful method of doing this does require a large element of surprise.:_ Nadran voice sounds apologetic. I gather my paws underneath myself and haul myself into a sitting position and find myself staring at a somewhat shocked looking Shadowstar.

"What did you _do?_" I flatten my ears at the loudness, then start with shock.

_:I can understand you!_ I announce in a shocked tone of voice.

"Oh good, it worked… I wasn't sure if it would be a bit different since you're not exactly human and I've only seen it performed on humans before now." The warm female voice is Dawnfrost's and she squats next to me and holds out one hand. "Hello," she says cheerfully.

_:Hello—:_ I reply faintly, my attention mainly concentrated inwards. Along with this sudden understanding of the Tayledras language, I also seem to have gotten a whole bundle of ideas and…well, _explanations_ is the only way I can think of describing them.

Like… I somehow know that Dawnfrost, as well as being a Healer, is more specifically someone called a _trondi'irn_, who specialises in non-human Healing.

"You can _what_?" Shadowstar's yelp brings my attention crashing back to reality. The scout is staring at Nadran, Dawnfrost and myself in turn, his expression shocked and slightly incredulous. "Do the Elders know that you were going to do this?"

_:It was decided independently by the Vale dyheli herd and a few associates.:_ Nadran says with aplomb.

Shadowstar sighs and rubs his forehead with one hand. "Right," he says.

_:I can understand you.:_ I marvel again, before coming to a realisation._ :Ow:_ I flatten my ears and wince as the headache sets in from nowhere.

"Oops, drink this." Dawnfrost has rummaged in her ever-present bag and produced a small bottle, the cork of which she has already removed before offering it to me.

I manage to grasp it in one paw and give it a slightly suspicious, if somewhat squinty, look. It smells… herbal.

"It's a ready made headache tea, drink up." Dawnfrost insists and I glance at her through suddenly watering eyes and comply.

Luckily, my mouth seems to be a bit slow on the uptake and I've swallowed most of the damned thing before the taste pounces on me. _:Argh—:_ I splutter and drop the empty bottle before shooting it a poisonous glare and pawing at my mouth. _:Citrus! I hate citrus!_

Dawnfrost picks up the bottle. "But that's one of the _nice_ tasting ones." She protests aggrievedly.

_:Yuck, yuck, yuck—:_ I make a show of spitting and pawing at my mouth.

"Oh," the Healer looks suddenly embarrassed. "Cats don't like citrus things, do they?"

_:That tasted _horrible I tell her.

"Here—" She pulls out a small disc of something from a pocket and offers it to me. "This honey sweet should get rid of the taste." She bundles the empty bottle back in her bag and rearranges it on her shoulder after I've grabbed the sweet.

I chew on the honey-treat, once getting past the hard outside, the inside is sticky and really overly sweet, but at least it's bearable and it's getting rid of the taste of that horrendous tea.

_:We should go to the Vale now.:_ Nadran announces suddenly, before setting the example and beginning to walk off. After a moment, Dawnfrost stands up and follows him, nudging Shadowstar as she passes him. The scout still looks to be a bit shell-shocked.

I gamely swallow down the remains of the honey sweet and wipe the side of my mouth with one paw before standing up and loping after the trio to catch up with them.

For some reason, the prospect of walking straight into a den of fearsome Bird-people doesn't seem as scary as it did before.


End file.
